


BS

by dragonsofmyheart



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Everybody's got a double, F/F, F/M, Past life, Post Season 7, Time Travel, William the Bloody - Freeform, Willow is bi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:02:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6168259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsofmyheart/pseuds/dragonsofmyheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time travel! Willow is tossed back a century or two and meets a certain someone on her trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> Preface

They burst through the door, splintering it in the process. Willow saw Buffy grab one of the bigger splinters, raise it above her head and lunge at the circle of hooded vamps. She dusted the one closest to her and turned to stake the next when she was suddenly thrown to the side by a burst of energy from the center of the circle. A brilliant flash of light nearly blinded the rest of them, coming from what appeared to be a large hole in the air.

Willow ran to help Buffy to her feet, pulling the blonde to her feet and away from the portal. Willow tried to blink the sun spots out of her eyes and caught sight of a fast approaching vampire. She opened her mouth to warn Buffy but it was too late. A large vamp grabbed her and clamped his hand over her mouth, carrying her to the portal. Her vision became distorted as she neared it.

Suddenly Willow was thrown into the portal, and flew through the suddenly cold air, landing on the pavement with a crack. She lifted her head a few inches to see a blurred silhouette approaching. Willow could hear faint voices over the ringing in her ears and tried to call out, only managing a strangled croak before she met the pavement again. Then she took a nap.


	2. Morning

Willow awoke to a muffled voice and dim lights. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and tried to sit up, big mistake. White hot pain streaked through her skull and she swayed, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms. She craned her neck to glimpse her rescuer and met pair of large hazel eyes set above rosy cheeks and framed by honey blonde hair. Where had she seen those eyes before?

  
"Buffy?"

  
"Close, my name's Elizabeth." The woman introduced herself cheerily, her english accent seeming strange coming out of Buffy's mouth. "You had quite a fall miss, how are you feeling?" Elizabeth inquired.

  
"I'm okay, I guess, apart from the major pain in my head and the waking up in a stranger's house." Willow replied. "If you don't mind, where am I?"  
"London" Elizabeth replied, laying Willow back down on the bed and turning to wet a rag.  
"England?"  
"Is there any other?" The nurse asked, chuckling softly as she pressed the cool rag to Willow's forehead.  
"What year?"  
"Lord, you must've hit your head harder than I thought, it's 1879." She shook her head. "What should I call you miss?"  
"Willow." The nurse cocked an eyebrow expectantly.  
"Rosenberg."  
Elizabeth looked puzzled, "I didn't know missus Rosenberg had a daughter."  
"Huh?"  
"Lillian Rosenberg is your mother right? Her brother lives in a big house on a hill just north of here. So sorry to hear about your mum's passing. How did you escape the fire?" The blonde had been scurrying around the room while she talked, but stopped in front of Willow's bed as she asked this last question.

  
"I was out um.... Horse...back riding? Yes, horseback riding... In France. Yep, I was in France and that's why no one knows about me or knows that I exist so don't ask anybody about me because they won't know anything. Because I was in France." Willow beamed and nodded her head vigorously in an attempt to make the story seem very true and not at all made up in the last thirty seconds.

  
The nurse made a small 'hmph' noise and turned back to her work. "I must say miss, those French people must dress quite strangely. Fitted slacks and undergarments as overclothes, what an utterly bewildering outfitting." She tutted softly to herself, and began opening drawers and unfolding things. Willow watched her closely, slowly realizing that she was in serious trouble here.

  
"What're you doing?" She asked.  
"Finding you a suitable dress for this evening. What with the engagement party and all." Elizabeth states rather matter-of-factly.  
"Engagement party?"  
"Isn't that what you came here for? The lovely Miss Lehane is to be wed to that awful Mister Pryce." The young woman's face darkened for a moment and she curled her lip, but it quickly brightened again when she seemed to find what she was looking for.

"Ah yes miss, this is the dress for you!" She held it up and Willow agreed. The dress was beautiful. It was a deep forest green color, embroidered with curling vines and leaves. It's neckline was scandalous to say the least in her own time, and Willow found she quite liked the idea of this being socially acceptable.

  
After that evil corset and weird 'knickers' were on, Elizabeth helped her into the dress. She left her hair down, and wore a simple silver chain around her neck with a small emerald-like stone that she was told belonged to her 'mother'. When it touched her skin, she felt a magical connection to the pendant. Willow inspected it in the light and saw something dark swirling in its depths. _Thanks mom._


	3. Blending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How much bullshit can I make up to convince these people? A lot

* * *

The carriage lurched to a stop, and Willow had to brace herself against the wall to keep from falling to the floor. She took a deep breath and stepped out as the door swung open, grabbing the footman's outstretched hand and landing soundly on the cobblestones.

  
Willow had been talking with Elizabeth pretty much since she had woken up only hours prior, Liz had been a big help in telling her everything she needed to know about her family and the surrounding families. This included reading diaries, naming portraits, and learning family secrets.

  
As Willow entered the party, she could immediately pick out a few faces and remember quick facts about them. She felt like Robocop, but quickly refocused as she noticed someone approaching her.

  
"And who might you be?" The woman asked snobbishly, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder.  
"Willow Rosenberg. Lovely to make your acquaintance, may I ask your name?" Willow asked, fake smile in place.

  
"Cecily Addams, this is my party." She replied, sneering. Willow only nodded her head absentmindedly and breezed past Cecily. She had spotted a butler carrying hors d'oeuvres, and Willow hadn't eaten since lunch. Which was about 100 years from now.

  
After skirting several guests and smiling at anyone she made eye contact with, she had gotten within five feet of the waiter only to run into a brown-clad back.  
"So sorry, please excu-" Willow started, but when the stranger turned around she was met with a pair of very familiar baby blues.  
"Spike?"  
"Pardon?" Spike asked, and Willow realized that this man was not 'Spike'. He was still William Pratt, he had a mother and a sister. He was still human.  
"Oh sorry. William right?"  
"Quite, but our acquaintance seems to have slipped my memory."  
Huh? Oh, we haven't met.  
"Willow Rosenberg, we haven't met but I recognized you from a picture."  
"Picture?" Pictures hadn't been invented yet.  
"Sorry, portrait. Meant to say portrait."  
"I see, lovely meeting you miss Rosenberg."  
"Please, call me Willow. How are you?" She asked, deciding to find out what Spike was like before he was turned.

"I'm quite well, have you met the happy couple yet?" He gestured towards two Faith and Wesley look-alikes. Faith looked utterly disgusted by Wesley's arm in hers. Willow stifled a giggle.

"I'm afraid not, but from here they don't look too happy." William laughed at this, and Willow was mesmerized by his smile. She had never really seen him smile before, only his trademark smirk. "It was nice to meet you William." She turned to leave and caught sight of the butler again. _You're not getting away so easy this time, buddy._

  
Willow finally caught him and was stuffing her face with food when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Giles in a fancy suit, without glasses, and much younger. She swallowed quickly and swiped the back of hand across her mouth. He smirked and she held out her hand to shake. He brought it to his lips, kissing it softly.

  
"I'm Willow"

  
"Warren Giles, lovely to make your acquaintance." His eyes were younger, his cheekbones were well defined, and his lips were fuller than his older counterpart. She blushed deeply and he released her hand, albeit reluctantly.

  
"Care to dance?" He asked. A new song had just begun and they were near the open floor.  
"I'd love to"  
He tugged her gently out to the floor, placed one hand on her hip, and held the other beside them in a slow waltz. He whispered softly in her ear

  
"You look lovely tonight." She could feel his breath on her neck  
"Thank you." She blushed again as his lips brushed against her ear.  
"What a pretty name. Willow." His hand trailed down her hip and back up again teasingly. "I want to show you something" He led her off the floor.

  
"Where're we going?"  
"You'll see" he smiled cryptically and pulled her outside. Once they were in the gardens he led her through a series of twists and turns until they reached a large brick wall twined with vines and lit by a single oil lamp. Warren settled a hand on her hip, beginning a small circuit around the little oasis. Dancing slowly to his own beat, he led her along. Warren rested his cheek against hers and they swayed gently. He turned and brushed his lips against her neck just below her ear. Willow tilted her head back slightly and he kissed along her jawline, nipping softly and running his hands up and down her hips.

Suddenly she was pressed up against the wall, his lips were against hers and his hands were on her necklace. He yanked hard, but the jewelry wouldn't give. Warren continued kissing her, probably hoping she hadn't noticed. Willow pushed him off.

  
"What the hell!?"

"I could ask the same!"

"You tried to rob me!"

"It isn't yours!"

"Why are we yelling?!"

"I'm not sure!"

"Let's stop!"

"Alright"

"Go pickpocket someone else, I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

"I think not. That stone is very dangerous and it would be better for both of us if you just gave it to me for safekeeping." He held his hands out, palms up and began to slink towards her. Willow narrowed her eyes and he stopped.

  
"This necklace is mine, the stone is mine, I can handle the danger."  
"Please, trust me." He pleaded  
"What's so dangerous about it anyway?" She asked coolly, maybe it was magic...

  
"It's called the Gem of Amara. It could mean the end of the world as we know it if that were to fall into the wrong hands!" He was turning a bit red and willow had to stifle a giggle, he really did look like Giles. Wait, the Gem of Amara, as in the rock that could give a vampire immortality? Almost true immortality, only cutting off their head would stop them. He was right, this was no child's toy or pretty bauble.

  
"You're a watcher?" Giles' eyes widened, it must be true then.  
"How do you know about that? Are you a spy? That explains the American accent... Who sent you? Why are you here?" He was speaking more slowly now, trying to wheedle information out of her. _Not today, Warren._

  
"That's not for me to say, goodnight." Willow fled, skirting the twists and turns of the maze until she reached the house again. Deciding not to make a fuss, she ran around the house and into the street, jumping into the nearest carriage and shouting her address to the driver. She relaxed onto soneone's lap.

"Willow?"

"William?" She then remembered where she was sitting and jumped to the next seat.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked  
"I was trying to escape a wa-"

she remembered that becoming a vampire had probably been William's first and only run in with magic.

"-aiter... Waiter. Very persistent about the cheeses. What are you doing here?"

  
"N-nothing!" He stuttered, stuffing a small book into his waistcoat.  
"Not so fast." She reached over and prized it out of his hands. Flipping it open, she realized this must be his poetry book Buffy told her about. She skimmed some of the texts. He really _was_ a terrible poet. _Oh, wait, here's a good one._

  
It was about a woman, and by the sound of it, the perfect woman. It mentioned something about her dark hair and lovely dresses, her manners, her smile, her laugh, and Willow felt herself falling in love with this girl. It was an amazing poem. Willow glanced up as she read the last line.

"William this is-"

He was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up a few characters to play with later, but for now please bear with me.


	4. Cynthia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visiting a friend, or perhaps more...

She and Liz had finished lunch about half an hour ago and had been riding in this bumpy carriage since. 

"Miss LeHane is one of the most beautiful, interesting, and humorous people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. She and I have been best friends since she moved here a few years ago, I couldn't imagine my life without her! There really aren't any words to describe Cynthia." If this year's Faith was anything like the Faith she knew, Willow would have to agree.

Elizabeth seemed totally enraptured by this girl, talking about her at every opportunity, extolling her virtues, praising her for her core characteristics; something present-day Buffy outwardly avoided, but Willow knew she enjoyed in her spare time.

"... awful Pryce boy had his eyes on her since she first arrived. The snobby bastard seemed desperate to gain her attentions and failed miserably, she would never fall for someone of his... Type? Every night she was meant to be basking in his attentions, she came to me for comfort and understanding." Liz sighed and Willow picked up on more than platonic "comforting" in her tone.

Present day Buffy had always had her full attention on Faith whenever she was nearby. Perhaps these situations were not so different... Willow narrowed her eyes and studied Elizabeth closely: the dreamy lilt in her voice, the dilation of her pupils, how often she sighed when talking about Cynthia, and how rarely she talked about anything else.

"...finally got his way and managed to bribe poor Cynth's bankrupt uncle to sell his niece. She's been so sad as of late, I hardly ever see her smile but when she does- oh Willow you should see it. It's like the heavens have opened up and the whole room brightens. I hope she will be in good spirits today, but as I said before, she rarely is anymore." Lizzy didn't seem so high in spirits herself, perhaps _actual_ spirits might help. 

-_-_-

As they approached the looming fortress that was the Pryce estate, Willow found herself once again trapped in a conversation about its owner. Elizabeth seemed to want to make sure that she knew how awful 'Christopher' was. Willow understood completely.

They finally reached the front door and Liz knocked heavily on it. After waiting a moment, it swung open revealing a young man in a penguin suit: the butler. He vaguely reminded Willow of Jonathan.  _Does everyone have a double here?_ It was like Dopplegangland all over again. 

Elizabeth pushed past him and called for Cynthia, loud enough to be heard by anyone within a ninety mile radius. Soon they heard loud thumping, a click, more thumping, and suddenly Faith's twin appeared at the top of a large staircase. She was wearing a pearly cream dress with light blue accents, her chestnut hair was pinned up with a matching flower clip. She did look beautiful, and Willow glanced at Liz to gauge her reaction. She was smitten.

"Oh Lizzy darling, I've missed you terribly. Who's your friend?" She cooed, looking Willow up and down. "This is Willow Rosenberg. She just arrived from France a fortnight ago. We've become rather close and I had hoped to introduce you two at some point. Of course there wasn't really time with the fast approach of the..." She looked uncomfortable and Willow assumed she meant the wedding. "Here we are." Liz was staring at her shoes and blushing furiously. Willow curtsied as Cynthia approached, the other woman smiled appreciatively. 

"Lovely to meet you. I'm sure you know all about me by now, dear Lizzy does love to talk. It's one of the things I love about her." Cynthia smiled warmly, slipping her arm around "dear Lizzy" and resting it on the blonde's hip. She blushed.

"Anyone for tea?" Cynthia offered. There was unanimous approval and they made their way into the parlor. 

It featured eggshell walls with cherry paneling on the bottom half of each. A large, Oriental rug lay out on the dark wood floor; two chairs and a seteé were arranged around a large fireplace with a mirror above it. Paintings lined the walls and Willow recognized Wesley's and Faith's faces among the portraits, but the rest were unfamiliar. Large windows allowed sunlight and a great view of the gardens. 

The butler entered, tea tray in hand. His eyes were glued to Cynthia as he set it down, hands shaking. Willow covered her mouth to keep from laughing aloud and waited for him to leave. He bowed profusely and nearly ran into the door during his hasty exit. 

-_-_-

The tea was fantastic, and the biscuits were almost cookie-like. Cynthia entertained them with stories about her life before London, stories of days spent exploring forests and meadows, of nights under the stars, of places far off where the people spoke and dressed in the most interesting ways. Willow recognized some customs and food from Asia and Russia and perhaps parts of Africa, but she couldn't be sure.

Willow had a great time and vowed to return next week, but tonight they had a ball to attend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bored and in love with Eliza Dushku


	5. Francis?

Willow leaned against the brick front of the hall. She could hear muffled music coming from within; coupled with the occasional bark of laughter and the near constant rhythmic thumping of the dancers' feet. She had come outside to get some air and had been surprised by how well the sounds had been muffled by the walls. She traced a crack in one of the bricks, and thought on the events that had transpired prior to her hasty exit the week before.

Willow wondered if the vampire community in London knew about the Gem. If they did, she would need to figure out how to protect herself. She had already began trying to figure out how to strap some kind of sheath to her leg to keep a stake in. So far her only sort of protection was the tiny silver crucifix she kept on a bracelet, but her shealth wasn't far from finished.

She was pulled from her reverie by the crash of a bin toppling in the alley. Willow poked her head around the corner. The alley was pitch black, except for the moonlight reflected off of the fallen bin. Suddlenly, it shook violently and Willow jumped. A small, black animal shot out of it like a bullet and she sank back against the alley wall, laughing at herself for getting so worked up over nothing. She bent to right the bin, and when she straightened again; she met the eyes of one very confused William Pratt.

"Er, 'lo Miss Rosenberg" he stuttered, not meeting her eyes.

"William! What the h- what are you doing here?" She practically shouted; her heart was beating erratically from the number of 'jump-scares' she had been victim to in the last few minutes. His eyes widened and he opened and closed his mouth.

"I- I could inquire the same of you Miss"

"I told you to call me Willow and I asked you first" He frowned.

"I was, er, attempting to capture that wretched creature. I believe the little girl called him... 'Francis'?" He scratched his head and looked up, as if expecting the cat to be suspended above him just waiting to be found.

"I don't think you'll find him up there" He turned, puzzled

"Oh, no I was-" he bit his lip "...I don't really know what I was doing" She laughed, and grabbed his arm

"Let's find that 'wretched Francis'. I saw him go down this side street here"

He let her pull him along, only protesting when she began to climb one of the fire escapes. "You can't do that in a dress Mi- Willow" he called up to her, panic evident in his voice.

"Then what do you call this?" She pulled herself up to the top of the small building, "Come on, silly. The view up here is better" He huffed and shifted his weight, clearly aprehensive at the prospect of being so high up. Finally he started the climb, steadfastly avoiding looking down.

-_-_-

When he reached the top, Willow was already leaning over the far side of the building, making soft noises to lure the cat. He smiled to himself, turning to look out across the skyline.  _What kind of girl climbs a bloody building to find a cat?_ He shook his head, she's a loony kind of girl, not the sort he should be seen around by Cecily if he wanted to garner her affections. When he turned back, she was not a foot away. He jumped, nearly falling off the edge of the building. She grabbed his arm and swung him into a quick dance. She obviously didn't  _actually_ know how to dance, but she hopped around and waved her arms a great deal. He tried to mimic her movements, but only succeeded in nearly tripping over his own feet. She laughed and grabbed his hands, spinning him around and around until they both grew dizzy. 

"What are we doing?" He gasped, laughing for no other reason than that she was laughing. 

"It's called dancing, silly" She stopped then, seeming to consider something. A minute later she went back to the edge, scanning. Suddenly she crouched onto her hands and knees, leaning her head over the ledge. She motioned for him to join her and he did so as quietly as he could. When he looked down he couldn't see anything, just the darkness of the alley way and the bit of red hair in his peripheral vision. 

"What are we-" she shushed him and his mouth clacked shut. Willow pointed down into the blackness, and he could just make out the silvery sheen of the moon's reflection on the cat's smooth coat. He slowly stood up and made his way back to the fire escape to catch it. She stayed, crouched, calling to it.

-_-_-

She watched as he crept closer and closer to the small animal. She had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle a guffaw at the way he was creeping in his fancy coat through the gross alley. 

The cat pricked its ears when he stepped in a puddle, but it remained otherwise frozen. He launched himself at the poor creature and it slipped through his fingers, William crashed to the ground and she took her hand off her mouth and laughed loud enough to startle him. He frowned, but it broke into a smile, which cracked into a grin, which split into peals of ridiculous snorting laughter. She watched as he tried to stand up, bracing himself on the alley walls; laughing too hard to stand up straight. 

She reached him a moment later and helped him stand up and brush himself off, still laughing. He suddenly straightened, seeming to realize what he was doing and bowed slightly. She tilted her head, puzzled, but did the same. He took this as a sign and left quickly, fading into the dark of the alleys.

She frowned and turged to go back to the party, wondering what their exchange could have meant. Where they friends? Acquaintances sharing a strange situation? Strangers in separate factions of England's "high society"? Only in time would an answer manifest itself. One thing was for certain, however, she would see him again.


End file.
